Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the suitability of his property, delay in completing adaptations and disrepair. Parts of the complaint are late or are about matters we do not have the power to investigate. There is insufficient evidence of fault to justify investigation of the remaining matters.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council: 
• Allocated him a bungalow in 2020 without properly considering whether it met his disability-related needs.
• Delayed kitchen, bathroom, dropped kerb, ramp and other adaptations, causing him to fund some works himself.
• Failed to address disrepair, including heating, hot water, damp and mould.
• Communicated poorly and did not handle his complaints properly. 

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
4. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)
5. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
6. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

7. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
8. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

9. Mr X complained to us in December 2025. We normally expect complaints within 12 months of the person becoming aware of the matter. I have seen no good reason why Mr X could not have complained to us sooner about the late parts of this complaint. I have therefore considered only matters Mr X became aware of between December 2024 and December 2025.
10. Mr X viewed, accepted, and moved into a bungalow owned by the Council in 2020. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council allocating him this property. It would have been reasonable for Mr X to complain to us about this matter sooner.
11. In 2020 Mr X proposed a driveway and dropped kerb, kitchen changes and a wet room. He says delays caused him to fund some works himself.
12. The Council’s policy says it will only consider major adaptations recommended by an Occupational Therapist. I have seen no evidence the Council received an Occupational Therapist referral recommending kitchen or bathroom adaptations at this property. There is therefore insufficient evidence of fault in the Council not progressing those works under its adaptations policy.
13. The Council says it received an Occupational Therapist referral for a dropped kerb in December 2023. The works were underway by September 2024. It is unlikely any significant delay continued during the 12 months before Mr X complained to us in December 2025. In any event, the Council apologised, accepted it could have provided more support and offered Mr X £300. This is a suitable remedy for any delay within the period we can consider.
14. Mr X’s concerns about heating, hot water, and damp and mould growth concern the Council’s management of its social housing. We cannot investigate these matters because we do not have the power to investigate complaints about the Council’s management of its social housing. These complaints may be considered by the Housing Ombudsman Service.
15. Mr X also complains of poor communication and complaint handling. We will not investigate this part of Mr X’s complaint because it is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint handling when we are not looking at the substantive issues.

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Final decision

16. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. Parts of the complaint are late or are about matters we do not have the power to investigate. There is insufficient evidence of fault to justify investigation of the remaining matters.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman